Milad bin Ahmad-Shah al-Ahmadzai sentenced to 18 years jail for Arrows gay club attempted murder
EXTREMIST Milad bin Ahmad-Shah al-Ahmadzai’s thanked the judge for sending him to jail for 18 years for attempted murder.
National
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ISLAMIC extremist Milad bin Ahmad-Shah al-Ahmadzai has been sentenced to 18 years jail for the brutal attempted murder of Michael Rooke outside a gay club in Rydalmere in 2013, bizarrely thanking the judge once the sentence was passed.
Appearing via video link from Goulburn’s super-max jail, the 26-year-old — who infamously refused to stand for judges during earlier court appearances in person — barely looked up during the two-hour sentencing process.
Together with two other men, who cannot be named, al-Ahmadzai was found guilty of shooting with the intent to kill Mr Rooke outside the 24-hour Arrows club on April 30, 2013 after the trio blocked Mr Rooke’s car from leaving with a stolen HiAce van.
Seven shots were fired at Mr Rooke, who was hit four times as he attempted to crawl away from his attackers, managing to push open the club door before collapsing.
His injuries included a lacerated liver, ruptured kidney and bullet wound to the ankle, and he has since had further surgery because of the attack.
The trio of attackers then used a stolen Nissan Pulsar, which they later burnt, to escape the scene.
Judge James Bennett SC said there was no motivation for the attack on Mr Rooke and that CCTV footage clearly displayed his anguish.
“The attack was determined and persistent and there could only have been one purpose in discharging the pistol seven times,” Mr Bennett said.
Although al-Ahmadzai did not pull the trigger, Judge Bennett noted that he could be heard on a recording inside the van giving instructions to the shooter on how to operate the pistol.
He was also found guilty of other charges relating to the theft of a Nissan Pulsar and Toyota HiAce van used in the attack.
Judge Bennett said the impact on Mr Rooke was ongoing, with sleep deprivation, psychological difficulties, and “fear due to not knowing why he was targeted” causing him to move away from the city “to hide”.
He said al-Ahmadzai had demonstrated no remorse or contrition, and “little to suggest” any prospect of rehabilitation.
Judge Bennett sentenced al-Ahmadzai to 18 years jail with a 12-year non-parole period, and he will be eligible for release from 2029.
The extremist al-Ahmadzai, who has a young son and stepson, is currently serving prison terms for 2011 and 2013 ATM ram raids, and threatening to slit the throat of an ASIO officer.
During the trial al-Ahmadzai refused to stand for the trial judge, the late Judge Gregory Farmer SC, on the basis of his religious beliefs, causing then NSW attorney general Gabrielle Upton to introduce new laws requiring the accused to stand for judges when appearing in court in person.
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Prior to the Arrows attack, al-Ahmadzai had attracted the attention of NSW Police counter-terrorism officers who had intercepted thousands of calls and messages to his phone between December 2009 and September 2011.
They were then able to identify his voice from Go-Pro footage recorded inside the stolen van during the trial for the attack on Mr Rooke.
After the sentence was pronounced, Judge Bennett asked al-Ahmadzai if he had heard his punishment.
“Yes I did thanks, it’s sweet, all good man, thanks very much,” he responded, looking up for only the second time during the process.
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